Stars Together
by Yumichi
Summary: Fuji x Echizen: It started as random bruises on the arm, then it became worse. Will they be able to stay together forever, even though he gets sick? GO READ! [Chapter 6 NOW UP!]
1. Chapter 1

**Stars Together**

Fuji Syuusuke x Echizen Ryoma

A/N: OMG! My first fic for PoT! ) I'm SO excited! I hop everyone likes it… We're going to start off with Fuji and Echizen having a tennis match, then the plot will hopefully evolve to where I want it. I hope you enjoy it… Here's my story! Douzo!

As Echizen lobbed the tennis ball over the net, Fuji saw it as the perfect time to use one of his special returns, Tsubame Gaeshi, the Swallow Return, and won the match, 7 to 5. Fuji smiled his usual smile, and walked up to the net to shake one sweaty Echizen's hand. Although the youngest Seigaku regular had lost to Fuji, he was content with the results, though Fuji had only begun to get serious. Like Inui once said, he was one of the few that liked watching Fuji's games and the progress we would make. Echizen stood up and walked to the net.

"Mada mada dane, Echizen." Fuji used Echizen's favourite saying, causing him to blush a little. "You know, you're getting better." He smiled, and held out his left hand. Ryoma reached out and put his hand into Fuji's and shook it. Just then, Fuji's eyes looked down at his arm, and saw a small, dark, purple blotch on his forearm, and he opened his eyes. It was a bruise. He looked grabbed Echizen's arm gently, and lifted it up to get a better view. Echizen was startled by this.

"Echizen, what happened?" Fuji was concerned; he saw another bruise on his arm. Now he knew why his game had been a little off. "Is someone bothering you?" Echizen coiled his arm back to his sides and frowned.

"No, I don't know how I got these bruises…" He answered honestly. He really didn't know how those bruises got there, and he wouldn't have noticed if Fuji had not pointed them out.

Fuji looked into Echizen's eyes and saw no lies clouding them up. He closed his eyes again, but the smile did not return. "Ok. I believe you…" He said reluctantly. He could tell that Echizen wasn't lying to him, but it still bothered him that he did not know. "But if anyone is bothering you, you can tell me." He looked at the boy standing before him, and smiled. He didn't realize it, but he was staring at Echizen and it made Echizen blush.

"Hai, Fuji-sempai." He turned around and picked up his tennis racket off the ground, and grabbed his water bottle, squeezing it onto his head to cool off. He searched through his memory, trying to remember what could have caused those bruises to be on his arm, but to no avail, nothing came up that seemed to fit the situation. "Maybe when I was playing with Karupin…?" He shook his head and decided to not think about it for now.

After he had changed into his school uniform, he stuffed his clothes into his bag, and closed it. He swung the bag onto his shoulder and walked out of the little room, remembering to lock it up afterwards.

As he passed the quiet tennis courts of Seishun Gakuen, he thought of how full of life it could be, the sounds of tennis balls bouncing on the ground, random girls cheering the regulars on. Something in his mind clicked. He remembered back to when Fuji and he had that unfinished match. He smirked. _I wonder when we'll finish that match…_ Echizen looked at his watch; 5:20pm.

"Better get home before Oyaji goes mental on me." He quickened his pace.

He turned to the corner to the familiar shrine, and stepped onto the stone step. He wondered if his Oyaji would meet him at the door… or maybe he was to into his little magazines at the moment. None the less, he had to be careful not to let him see him get in the door. He inaudibly opened the door and surveyed the house. It was quiet. Too quiet.

"Tadaima." He said in his usual monotonous voice. He walked into the kitchen and looked around. His eyes landed on a square white sheet of paper, with messy writing on it. He recognized it at once. Only one person could write chicken scratch like that, and that was his old man.

_Echizen,_

_Gone out for dinner w/ your mom. It's our anniversary, which I bet you forgot ALL ABOUT! Better get ready to give something nice to your mom! _

_--Nanjiroh_

On the bottom of the note, the writing changed, to beautiful flowing hand writing, which must be his mother's own.

_P.S. - I think your cousin left you some food. She's gone out too. Don't stay up too late Ryoma, you have school tomorrow morning. Xoxo_

He read the note again and then put it back onto the table. His stomach grumbled.

"I wonder what she left me…" He rubbed his growling stomach, as he rummaged through the contents of the fridge.

After having a nice dinner quietly all by himself, he put the dishes into the sink. "I'll get them later." He said to himself. He walked up the wooden stairs, with each step up the stairs creaked and moaned. The house was an old one, but it was home none the less. Echizen walked into his room, not bothering to turn on the lights. He used up what was left of his energy to take off his clothes, and put on a nice clean pair of pajamas, then threw the covers off his bed and fell face first onto his pillow. He reached up towards his alarm clock sleepily, and without looking at it, set it to wake him up at 7:15am.

Echizen turned in his bed and facing his ceiling, he thought of the practice he had with Fuji-sempai. His mind drifted to when He found the bruises on his arms. That face he had made. Was it annoyance? No… it looked like worry. Ryoma recalled those beautiful azure eyes staring at him, like they were searching through his deep into his soul for the unknown.

He smiled at the thought of Fuji-sempai. Inui had once said that he was the only one who had the peculiar taste for Fuji's power. Or was it the other way around? He couldn't really remember anymore. All he really wanted to do was sleep… But the thought of the mysterious bruises kept him thinking.

"Maybe I _did_ get them from playing with Karupin. Ok, we'll stick with that for now." Echizen yawned.

Little did he know that it was more than just random bruises. It was something **much** more serious.

**To be continued…**

A/N: wow! Haha, I've been trying to write this fic for a zillion years now. I made my friend read through the first rough and she was like, I think you should add on a **real** beginning. It'll just be too confusing without it. So, being me, I did, and this is the product of it. Then it took another billion years to name this story, and then it finally came to be after a whole week of sulking around. X.x" Anyway! I hope you all liked it. " I'll try to update soon, so it'll get better. ) Review and comments appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch 2- Stars Together**

Fuji Syuusuke x Echizen Ryoma

A/N: **Wow!** The first chapter already has like seven reviews! I'm so proud –squees- Oh, and I think you'll find out what the disease –YES DISEASE- Ryoma has soon… I hope… X.x" I'll just chuck in more symptoms here and there. So maybe it'll seem clearer before I actually say what it is. Well! I hope you all like it: Here's chapter two of Stars Together! Douzo!

Ryoma Echizen drowsily lifted his arm and smacked the alarm off. He left his arm there, and let it fall back down onto his head. He didn't want to move. Whenever he did, a dull ache would appear in his joints. _Maybe it's the exercise regimen Inui has set up for me._ He let it slip his mind once more. He pulled the covers over his head. Ryoma was still tired, maybe from thinking about the bruises too much. He pulled the covers up further to shut out all traces of light.

The door opened. Ryoma turned to see who it was. "Ryoma, it's time to wake up. You're breakfast is going to get cold." His mother said. She walked to the window, and opened up the blinds, letting in the rest of the sun's light into the room. Ryoma moaned as he pulled the covers so over his head, his feet started to show.

"Are you Ok?" Rinko said, with a tinge of worry on around the edges. _Usually he'd be up and about without me having to wake him up._ She pulled the covers down and placed her soft, motherly hand on his forehead. He was sweaty, and warm.

"I think you have a fever." She frowned, and crossed her arms. "You're staying home today. I'll call the school and tell them that you're not going to school today."

Ryoma propped himself up with his elbow. "But I have tennis practice today, and a tournament's coming up." He didn't want to miss practice, and plus, today he had a scheduled match with Fuji. He wasn't about to give up the chance of his lifetime to play the tensai, even if it meant going to school sick.

Rinko's brows furrowed. She knew tennis was like his life, and she did have to admit a little practice at school did make him a better sportsman. She knew this stubbornness well.

"Well, let me check your temperature first, then we'll see what we can do, does that sound fair?" Echizen made a sound, and she took it as a yes.

Ryoma could hear her walk out of the room, down the stairs, and into the medicine cabinet. He could tell, because since he could remember moving into the house, there was a unique creaking sound the door would make, every time someone opened the little cabinet door.

Ryoma closed his tired eyes. He wondered what was making him so tired. Maybe because it was so hot in his room last night. He couldn't stop sweating.

His mother walked into Ryoma's room, with a tray at hand. On the little white tray, were a thermometer, a lukewarm glass of water, and a pill on a little saucer. She skillfully balanced it in one hand as she knelt down beside his bed. Echizen sat up, and lay back down onto the just fluffed pillow. She stuck the thermometer into his mouth, and maneuvered it to under his tongue.

She looked at the thermometer, and with the other hand, she handed him the glass of water. He picked up the little white capsule off the saucer, and he popped it into his mouth and gulped down the water.

"99.4 °F… Well, it's not over a hundred yet."

Echizen's eyes lit up with a speck of hope. "So, does that mean I can go to school?"

Rinko put her hand on her chin, thinking. "Hm, well… I suppose…" she could tell he was happy. She collected the glass of water from ryoma's hand, and put the thermometer and the glass back onto the little tray once more.

'But! I think you should stay home for the morning. A little sleep might do you some good. I'll call the school and tell them that you'll be back in the afternoon then."

"Ok." Ryoma pulled his pillow back down, and put his head into it. He was happy that his mother was so understanding. That, and he got to miss the math lesson in the morning. He closed his eyes, thinking about how he would be able to play Fuji in the afternoon. Perhaps the sleep would help the tiredness and let him play better too. He yawned, and drowsily blinked away the thoughts, falling asleep.

He woke up a few hours later. He sat up, propping himself up with his right arm, the other rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. He looked at the clock; it was 11:20am. _Good,_ he thought, _I have time to take a quick shower and eat a little something._ He got out of his bed, and stretched before heading to the washroom.

He walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen. His mother turned around from the sink and smiled.

"Do you feel better after the sleep?" She handed him a glass of water, and another pill, that he gulped down.

"Yes." He picked up a piece of bread.

Rinko wiped her hands on her apron, then placed one on his forhead.

"Well, your fever seems to be gone. I'll be home all day, so if you don't feel well, you can call home." Ryoma picked up his bag and walked towards the front door.

"Hai, I'm going now." Echizen said to his mother, who was in the kitchen.

"Remember, if you don't feel well, call home. Be careful Ryoma." She said once again, just to be sure the boy didn't forget.

"I will." He slipped the other shoe onto his foot, grabbed his jacket and bag off the floor, and went out the door.

When you are looking forward to something at the end of the day, time seems to stop. In Echizen's case, it was last period English, and seeing as this was his best class, time went by fairly quickly for the boy. The last bell of the day rang through the school and the rustling sound of clothes could be heard throughout the halls of Seishun Gakuen.

Echizen sat on the bench in the club, and quietly tied his shoelaces. Horio walked in through the door.

"Hey, Echizen! Where were you this morning? You missed math, but thankfully I take great notes. Here, you can take mine and copy it." He thrusted a notebook to Echizen, who incoherantly took the book and stared at the other boy.

"Um, thanks…?" Ryoma blinked._ I already have notes…_ He put it down on his bag.

Oishi walked into the room, with one cat-like boy latched onto his arm.

"Nya, Ochibi! There you are! Fuji was looking for you at lunchtime. Where were you?" Kikumaru put down his bag, and took off his uniform black jacket.

"I was home, sick." He stated blankly. That made Oishi concerned.

"Nya, Ochibi missed school? Not fair, I want to miss English with that crazy man too." Kikumaru complained inwardly, as he changed into his tennis uniform.

"That's not something you'd want to happen Eiji!" Oishi scolded.

"Hai, hai. Sorry Oishi." Kikumaru stood up off the bench. He leaded over to Oishi and placed a quick peck onto his cheek, causing the other boy to blush. "I'm going to go outside and warmup first." He smiled and walked out of the room, with his racket in hand.

His eyes lingered a little while longer on the red-haired boy, then realizing what he was doing, he turned his attention back to the younger boy. "Echizen, if you're sick, you really should be at home resting."

"Betsuni, I'm fine. I didn't want to miss tennis practice. Besides, we have a tournament coming up soon right?"

"Well, yes… But that's not the p-"

"Oishi-senpai, I'm fine, really." He got up and grabbed his racket from his bag, zipping up afterwards. "I'm going outside to warm up now."

Oishi sighed. "Ok, but don't overdo it Echizen."

"Hai."

The game between Fuji and Echizen ended, with the score at 6-4, the game going to Fuji. The two boys walked back to the change room, as their match marked the end of the practice. They toweled off, and changed.

"Saa, Echizen, the match today was interesting, don't you think?" fuji smiled, turning to look at Ryoma.

"You didn't even try today."

"Well, neither were you." His smile remained unchanged on his face.

"Betsuni." He didn't want to say that it was because he was sick. It really wasn't something to talk anyway.

"I was looking for you during lunch."

"Ah, I heard from Kikumaru-senpai. What did you want?" He fidgeted with his bag as he put away his racket.

"Saa, Are you free tomorrow evening, after school?"

Ryoma stopped fidgeting. He really had been waiting for those words to come from his mouth for a long time now. Ryoma grinned.

"Why, are you asking me out?" He said back, jokingly.

Fuji's smile became a genuine grin. "Depends on how you look at it, but I guess you could say that."

"Ok, but I get to choose the food." He said that, just in case his senpai had been planning on spicy food, which Ryoma knew as a hundred percent true.

Fuji opened his eyes. "Saa, then it's set. I'll pick you up at your house around 6:30pm."

"Ok." Ryoma had his poker face back on to hide the sheer happiness he felt.

"Then I'll see you then. Bye Echizen."

"Bye, Fuji-senpai." He put on his coat and picked up his bag.

He hoped that his sickness woulnd't prevent him from going out, but that wasn't the biggest obstacle he had to get over.

What was he going to say to his parents?

**To be continued…**

A/N: Well! I hope everyone liked it! I think in the next chapter or so, you'll really find out what's going on, and the angst of the story will appear. (Sorry, it's going to have to be a bit fluffy, for my storyline's sake.) Oh, and I'm sorry if there are spelling mistakes everywhere… Something's messed up my word processor's spell checker. X.x" I'll try and get the problem solved ASAP! Reviews and comments loved lots!


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch 3- Stars Together**

Fuji Syuusuke x Echizen Ryoma

A/N: OMG! The last chapter has a WHOPPING 14 reviews! –jumps for joy- I'm **so über** happy that so many people like me-- I mean my STORY. –stick tongue out cutely- Oh, and ONE MORE THING. You guys out there (and girls) are SO SMART! –winks- most of you can probably guess what it is ne? Hehe, Ok! In this chapter, Echizen will try and tell his family about his little date with Fuji. Will he be able to tell them? Well, read on to find out! Here's chapter 3 of Stars Together! Douzo!

The door opened to one young boy, coming home from tennis practice.

"Tadaima." He said in his usual monotonous voice.

"Ah, Ryoma! You're home." Rinko said, as she wiped her hands with a clean towel. As Echizen walked into the kitchen, she turned around, seeing her son's cheeks tinged a light shade of pink. "Saa, Echizen, are you not feeling well? You look a bit warm, dear."

She put her hand on his forehead, only to find that his temperature was normal. She made a confused look as he swatted her hand away from his face. "Your temperature seems normal… Is something bothering you?"

"I'm sweaty." He was in a predicament. He knew she could sense something. He thought of something fast before he had to explain. "I'm going to go take a bath." He walked up as normally as he could up the stairs and into his room, then the second he closed the door behind himself, he dropped his bag to the side, and breathed a breath or relief. _How am I going to tell them I have a date with my senpai…? _He slid down, with his back on the wall.

"And even worse than that, how do I tell them my senpai's a _guy?_" He pulled his cap down, his bangs covering his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to make the dizziness go away. He was going to have to do something about it soon… but how? The question plagued his mind, causing the headache to worsen. He sat there for a while, alone in the quietness of his little sanctuary.

He put his hand on the wall, and slowly got up, all the while, his other hand held his head. He slowly took a deep breath and let it out. Ryoma opened his eyes.

"Maybe a bath will help…" He went into his drawer and grabbed some clean clothes, and a clean-smelling towel. He looked up questioningly.

"Which bath salt should I use today…?" He walked out his door, the dizziness fading away slowly, with thoughts of a calm, quiet bath.

He leaned on the side of the bathtub, letting the scented steam waft up to his face. His eyes were closed, as he thought dreamily of tennis, which lead to thoughts of the next day, which was to be his first date… with Fuji-senpai. He let himself slip farther under the water, which soon covered his chin, and lips.

The problem still floated around in his head, which irritated him, very much. He took the white facecloth that was folded neatly in top of his head, and put it under the water, watching the air bubbles float from under the soft cloth up to the surface, making spongy _plop, plop, plop_ sounds. He wished his problems could just float up to the sky and pop, much like the delicate little pockets of air, were doing in his bath.

He leaned back onto the bath pillow his mother had gotten him for Christmas last year, which was also his birthday, so she had also included a basket of bath salts too. She knew exactly what he liked doing, and for that, Ryoma was utterly grateful, but sometimes, the way she knew what was going on in his head also made life really hard for him. Just like when he came home from practice. _Why did mothers have to have that _'woman's instinct'_ thing anyway…?_

He stared at the big air bubble that was slowly rising to the top of the bath. He reached out and poked it, causing the perfectly round ball of air to rupture, and rise to the top, making that familiar, loud _POP_ sound.

He got out of the tub, not wanting to have prune skin, which happened more often now, because he fell asleep in the tub recently. He draped the soft, cream-coloured towel on his hips, then wrapping it around once, tucking in the ends at the front.

Ryoma stretched his arm out to where Fuji had looked. Following that bruise, he looked all over his body.

_Where had these come from?_

There weren't a lot, but enough to make someone worried, especially when he didn't know when _or_ where they came from. He crouched down, touching the ugly bruise on his calf… Ryoma recalled running into something, but it didn't seem hard enough to bruise it _this bad_…

The dull ache in his head was back.

The knocking on the door brought him back to reality. It was his mother's voice, shaking him out of his trance-like state, calling for him to go downstairs for dinner.

"I'm coming," he replied. Ryoma shivered, looking down, he remembered he wasn't wearing anything. Quickly throwing on his clothes, he tossed the damp towel into the clothing bin, and went down for dinner.

Dinner was normal- in Echizen standards- as always. His perverted oyaji was once again trying Ryoma's patience, by badgering him about not having a girlfriend at "his age."

"Sometimes I get the feeling that you don't even **_like_** **girls,**" his father stated, while shoveling more and more rice into his mouth.

That comment surprised Ryoma. He coughed, trying to dislodge the rice from his windpipe. His mother handed him a glass of water, smacking his father on the head for being stupid.

"What? What did I do?" Nanjiroh rubbed his head.

Ryoma glared at his father, but failed, knowing that that statement was true. He didn't like girls, though they made quite an eye out for Ryoma.

"Serves you right… Baka oyaji…" He frowned, embarrassed.

"Ryoma has every right to choose to have or NOT HAVE a girlfriend, and it's none of your business anyway, you old man," His mother said, as-a-matter-of-factly.

Nanjiroh made a hurt face, putting his hand over his chest. "I'm hurt Rinko-chan. I just want what's best for our son, and having a girlfriend might help him learn to _love_ something, other than his most important baby, **tennis**!" He said all that seriously, and with the most straight face.

"Oji-san, you know that's not true…" His cousin interjected into the conversation.

"Oh really," His father rolled his eyes. "Name two things other than tennis, which he loves."

Nanako put her index finger on her lip. "Well… there's Karupin…" She tapped her finger lightly.

"Hmm…" She couldn't quite recall something, that something she saw that put Ryoma in a good mood all the time…

"Sorry Ryoma-kun, I can't remember what I was going to say." She smiled sheepishly.

His father had won, sporting a victorious grin across his face. "See? There _aren't_ any other things. Other than tennis, he doesn't like anything else."

Ryoma couldn't keep it in anymore. He put down his bowl of rice and placed his chopsticks neatly on top of the bowl.

"If you think you're right, you are **sadly** mistaken." His face reddened with frustration and embarrassment.

This just made it so much easier for his baka oyaji to pick on him. Nanjiroh raised up an eyebrow, the grin still plastered to his face.

"Oh? Well, what _or who_ is it? Hmm?" He poked Ryoma with his chopsticks.

"I…" Ryoma scowled at himself for his weakness.

Nanako's eyes lit up as she remembered. "That's it! I remember! There's this person that walked you home almost everyday during the holiday… Let's see, they had pretty light brown hair, and beautiful blue eyes. You were so happy the whole day after that, I remember, because you didn't even get mad at Oji-san that day." She nodded to herself.

"I'm sure that person is someone you love," She added, smiling.

That only made Nanjiroh even _more_ interested, causing him to poke Ryoma more, irking him for an answer.

"Oh, so there's someone Echizen likes… Who is it? I want to meet this girl."

He frowned further with embarrassment. "If you stop bugging me, you can meet him tomorrow."

"That's right, I can meet the girl of your dreams tomor— Wait… you said him…" Nanjiroh's eyes widened.

"Yes, I did. I have… a date tomorrow," He said irritably.

"Ryoma-kun, you have a date? I'm so happy for you!" His cousin said happily.

"Is it that Fuji-senpai? He's such a sweet young man." His mother smiled.

Ryoma couldn't believe it. All that followed was not a questioning from his family, but warm smiles and congratulations, with the exception of his father, who continued to stare at him in awe.

"You mean you all don't _mind_ that I like…"

"Ryoma, it doesn't matter who you like, whether they be a girl **or** boy. What counts is that you _chose_ him to be your special someone, and for that, I am glad," His mother looked Ryoma straight in the eyes, warm and welcoming.

"You _knew?_" It was Ryoma's turn to be outright surprised.

"Oh, you didn't think that you're Okaa-san wouldn't know what you liked now, did you? Fufufu, of course I knew. I could see it always. The way you didn't care about the fan girls that stalked you home. Even when you talk on the phone with your senpai— it's different, though it might sound exactly the same to the untrained ear. I'll love my Ryoma for who he is, even if he's gay."

"Thank you. I really needed to hear that." He smiled, then turning his glance towards his father; it went back to the usual relaxed state. "I'm not so sure about _him_ though."

Nanjiroh crossed his arms across his chest, closing his eyes. "I was just surprised you had someone on your mind. I'm not that stupid you know. Besides…" He blushed. "I'd love you no matter what."

Rinko smiled. It was a rare occasion for Nanjiroh to say what he really felt.

"Seeing as everyone's been so good, I'll take everyone out for some ice-cream! How's that sound?" She beamed.

They had walked to the ice-cream parlor together, as a family. Ryoma walked beside his mother, licking his ice-cream cone quietly.

"Ano, Okaa-san, about tomorrow…"

"Is he coming to pick you up?"

"Yeah, he said he'd come around 6:30 pm."

"You best hope you don't get sick tomorrow, because if you do—"Ryoma cut her off, exasperated.

"I won't. I'll go to bed early and eat my medicine." He said quickly.

Rinko smiled her motherly smile. "Just don't get home too late, and take your cell phone with you."

"I won't." He licked his ice-cream cone contently, making a little dribbled out of the corner of his mouth, making his mother laugh hardily. She took a hanky out, and wiped his mouth.

"It's Ok, I can do it myself." He blushed, taking the hanky quickly.

"Haha, sometimes I still wonder." She laughed again.

Tomorrow would be a promising new start… Or will it turn out to be the end of what couldn't be?

**To be continued…**

A/N: wow! I'm **so** sorry for taking so long to update. T.T" School's being a bum again, what with May rolling around the corner… -shudders- Anyway! I hope that this chapter wasn't TOO boring… I'm such a pedestrian writer; over-killing the details, _as always_. I'll try and update ASAP, and comments and reviews greatly appreciated, as you guys fire my will to keep on writing! Thanks for all the comments btw, I LOVE YOU GUYS! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch 4- Stars Together**

Fuji Syuusuke x Echizen Ryoma

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry, it really has been a while ne? I've just finished a bunch of summative projects and I only have a few left, so I decided that it was time to update (this chapter that I've been writing for over a month now –coughs--)! So in this chapter, Fuji and Echizen will go out on their FIRST DATE!! –squeals- I'M SOOO READY TO WRITE THIS! So to find out what happens, read on! Here's Chapter 4 of Stars Together! Douzo!

The butterflies in his stomach fluttered and flew around chaotically, causing Ryoma much discomfort. He looked into the mirror, his hands grasping the side of the counter, breathing hardly. The mix of excitement, fear and everything in between made his hands shake.

"Calm down… calm down." He repeated to himself. _It's only a date. A date with Fuji-senpai... Tonight... **Just the two of us.** _ Just thinking about it made his knees feel weak. That bright, unchanging smile on his face haunted his dreams, and now, the date only a few hours away, he was nervous.

He felt the sickness creep up his throat, and he dove for the toilet, barely missing it. He hadn't slept last night, what with the cold sweat and hot flashes all night long, and his stomach didn't fair all that well all day either. When he took one bite of food during lunch, he'd felt sick. If this was what love felt like, he didn't like it very much.

Ryoma flushed the toilet, and shakily lifted his arm to lift himself off the ground. Splashing his face with some cool water, he wiped his lips with his arm. He couldn't let what seemed to be the flu, get in the way of his date.

"Ryoma-chan, are you alright? You've been in there for a long time now…" His mother knocked on the door. She noticed he was paler than usual when he walked in the house from school, but then again, maybe it was some new training schedule he was on; that or he was sick. She knocked lightly again.

"Ryoma-"

He quickly rinsed his mouth out, and opened the door. "Sorry, I was thinking. I'll be in my room." He dodged his mother and walked into his room, closing the door as to avoid anymore questions. _Maybe a nap will help._ He thought to himself.

He took off his slightly wet t-shirt, flinging it into a corner of the room, and clad only in a pair of sweat pants, he crawled into the warmth of his covers. Ryoma reached up and grabbed his alarm clock, and set it to go off an hour before Fuji would arrive, so he could have some time to get ready.

"Fuji-senpai… I wonder what he's going to wear…" He yawned and eyelids feeling heavy, they closed.

One calm Fuji Syuusuke stood behind the door and rang the bell.

"Oh, that must be Ryoma-chan's date!" Nanako said excitedly.

"Coming!" Rinko quickly wiped her hands, and took off her apron, then opened the door.

"Good evening." Fuji bowed politely.

"Ah, you must be here to pick up Ryoma. Nanako, could you please get Ryoma? He must have fallen asleep." She smiled apologetically." I'm sorry; he hasn't been feeling quite up to par this past week, so please take good care of him."

"I will take good care of him."

Upstairs, a distraught Ryoma was rushing to find clothes to wear and clean socks.

"Ano, Ryoma-kun… I have clothes here…" In Nanako's hands was an outfit.

He looked up from the mess, grabbed the stuff and ran into the bathroom.

Downstairs, Fuji giggled silently.

After jumping into the clothes, Ryoma looked in the mirror and with wet hands, ran them through his unruly hair. He hastily opened the door and ran downstairs, stopping right in front of Fuji, breathless.

"Okaa-san…Fuji-senpai…meet…" He struggled to introduce the older boy to his mother, what with the 7 minute getting-ready-for-a-date thing he just pulled off.

"It's Ok, I know who he is." She ran her hand down his back to help him catch his breath.

"I'll be sure to bring him home before 10:30 PM," Fuji assured Ryoma's mother, the extending his hand to Ryoma, he said, "I've got the whole night planned out."

"Good night, Okaa-san. Don't stay up." He waved, and Fuji bowed again politely then held Ryoma's hand tightly in his, walking away from the house.

When Syuusuke said he had the whole night planned out, he had meant, **he had the whole three hours planned to a dot.** After getting to one of the nicest places in the whole city-- which Echizen had mentioned he wanted to go only once before (he couldn't believe that Fuji still remembered)—for dinner, they went for a walk on the boardwalk. The people that they walked by looked at the pair, which made Echizen slightly uncomfortable.

"Fuji-senpai, do you think we should be holding hands? I mean, the people are-"

"I told you call me Syuusuke, and yes, we should. I mean we are a couple right?" That smile made Ryoma melt.

"Yes, but the people are-" Again, he was cut off.

"It doesn't matter what others think, as long you love the person whose hand you're holding. Besides, I don't care; I finally get to hold this hand I've been waiting to hold for a whole year now." The sun lit up Fuji's already bright smile and beside the beautiful ocean, Fuji's eyes seemed to glitter even more than usual.

"Ne, Ryoma, our clothes match." He didn't even notice what he was wearing until now, let alone the fact that he and his date were matching. He was wearing a black muscle shirt underneath a cream-coloured sweater that was sort of off-the-shoulder. For pants, he was wearing a pair of jeans he had worn in, with rips at the knee and at the bottom of the pant legs, and square patches of different coloured fabric, he hand-sewn on randomly.

Fuji was wearing a white top with black letters all over it, with a beige trench coat over top. He was also wearing dark blue jeans, with a studded belt and a chain, which was attached to his wallet. Oddly enough, both of them were wearing matching crosses, which they had gotten a while back with the other regulars, as a group. Unknowingly, Ryoma's outfit seemed to match Syuusuke's… He blushed. _That Nanako! She knew…_

He was so caught up in his trail of thought that he couldn't see what happened next. All he felt was the softness on his own lips and as quick as it happened, they were off. He blinked, his fingers touching the tingling, tender flesh. His stomach did a 360o flip and his heart rate soared through the clouds.

"Come on, if we don't hurry we'll miss the movie." Fuji stood up, extending his slender hand to the golden eyed boy. He absent-minded took the hand, and the long, willowy fingers locked them together.

Of course, that Fuji had somehow snuck the both of them into the scariest movie, of which both of them were underage to watch. Ryoma pouted at his realization of his senpai's hidden connections. His face was practically buried into Syuusuke's arm the whole movie. Ryoma thought that if the plan was to scare him into leaning into his shoulder and to show him more affection, it worked, and he scowled at his weakness.

Ryoma thought the movie would never end. Now that it was, his hand tightly grasped the hand of his senpai, scared, but to proud to admit that it scared him. He would probably have troubles sleeping tonight. Of course, Syuusuke sensed it, and offered to talk to him on the phone, even if it meant staying up all night too. Ryoma blushed, and shook off the older boy's hand, and walked faster, leaving Fuji chuckling, calling out to his kouhai to slow down.

After catching up, Fuji apologized, still smiling, and promptly got smacked on the arm for his lack of empathy for Ryoma's situation.

"Saa, I hope you enjoyed the night as much as I did."

"Fuji-sen- I mean Syuusuke… I had a great time." His mind flashed back to the kiss. His cheeks flushed with colour.

"Fufufu, are you Ok?" He chuckled at the sight of his kouhai flustered.

"Uhh, I mean, yeah. That kiss, it just caught me by surprise that's all." His cheeks reddened.

Syuusuke opened his eyes, revealing the sea of azure blue. Those eyes that could penetrate fog and rain; they attracted Ryoma. "You're so cute when you're mad, you know that?"

"Shut up! Baka Syuusuke." He frowned cutely.

The walk to Ryoma's home seemed to get longer as each second seemed to pass slower and slower. Ryoma didn't know when it started, but the sick feeling came back, maybe half way home. He put his hand on his stomach, which Fuji caught almost immediately. They stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Ryoma, are you ok?" His expression changed to one of worry. Still holding onto Syuusuke's hand, Ryoma could feel his knees beginning to give way.

Fuji scooped up Ryoma's small frame into his arms and laid Ryoma's head onto his lap. The cold and hot flashes cut through him, which made him sweat, all the while freeze, inside out. Syuusuke immediately took off his coat and covered him.

The world was blacking out, and the last thing Ryoma saw was Fuji's head above his, his golden hair being lit up by the lap up above. _You look like an angel._

"Ryoma! Someone, anyone, help! Call an ambulance!" Fuji screamed, attracting two familiar faces to the scene.

"Nya, Oishi! It's Ochibi and Fuji-senpai..." Before he could register the scene, Oishi already let go and was on the phone calling for help. Kikumaru ran through the crowd and kneeled beside Syuusuke, with Oishi following right after.

Fuji sat there and held Ryoma tightly to his chest. _Ryoma… be Ok. Be Ok._

**To be continued…**

A/N: Wow! I'm sure almost all of you could've guessed that would happen ne? Well, in the next chapter, you will _definitely_ find out what's going on with Ryoma. I hope that this short chapter will satisfy your needs for now. So yeah, I'm going to be working on my other stories (and this one **of course**), and being such a procrastinating girl, I have a one shot underway for my lovely Thrill pair, so keep your eyes open!

P.S. - Did anyone notice it's summer already?! Haha, that was chapter 4, and chapter 5 is coming soon! R&R please and thank you:)


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch 5- Stars Together**

Fuji Syuusuke x Echizen Ryoma

A/N: Wow! It's been… a while since I've updated ne? Gomen na this chapter will sort of set the mood of the story… for maybe the next few chapters. Thanks for those who have waited so patiently for my return! Anyway! Here's the 5th instalment to Stars Together! Douzo!

_"First stage… caught early…" He floated in and out of consciousness, catching parts of something someone he didn't know, was saying. _

_"Very sick…" _Who was that? And where am I?

_His eyes opened for a brief moment. _Okaa-san? Why are you crying? Wait, why is my baka Oyaji crying too? _His eyes scanned across the white walls of the room. Oishi-senpai, Kikumaru-senpai and Syuusuke were here too. Ryoma tried to reach out, but it seemed his hands could not move. _

What's going on…did I die?

_The sleepy feeling came back, making his eyes too weighty to keep open anymore._

Maybe I'm dreaming… _The world blacked out once again._

In the same room, in the middle of the night only a few hours after Ryoma had collapsed, all was not well. Kikumaru cried softly in his sleep, his sobs muffled as Oishi hugged his closer to his chest, cooing him to calm down. On the other side of the room, Rinko and Nanjiroh sat, still shaken by the news. They embraced one another, tears flowing freely down their aging faces.

Fuji sat quietly still wearing the clothes from the night before, holding Ryoma's left hand, gently caressing it with his thumb. He lightly traced the perimeter of the tape on the top of Ryoma's hand, which held the IV in place. His eyes sketched the outline of the bruises around his wrists into his mind, those of which were caused my Ryoma's own unwillingness to cooperate. They had to bind him down when he wouldn't stop ripping out the IV. He was exhausted but still somehow managed to keep struggling to break free and in the end, he was put into an induced sleep to stop him from hurting himself any further.

Syuusuke leaned in and kissed Ryoma's hand.

_They had quite the night in the ER because of you Echizen._

Fuji's smile was tired, and his eyes were open, staring at the boy who was lying on the bed in front of him. He closed his eyes and lay his head down beside Ryoma's hand, which he was still holding onto. The doctor's words floated in the room silently, but his voice lingered in Fuji's head, in his mind. The conversation that went on in the room only a few hours back would be one of the only times Fuji was truly scared.

He squeezed his eyes closed, tightly.

_"I have some good news, and some bad news." _You mean bad news, and worse news, _Fuji thought quietly._

"_What's wrong with my baby?" Rinko choked out. "He hasn't felt well all week now. Is it serious?"_ Of course it was; He fainted during our date.

_"Well, we won't know for sure until we run some more tests, but from the symptoms he's exhibited, what I've heard from the emergency room doctor, and what I can see for myself, He seems to be in the early stages of leukemia. We still have yet to find out what type it is, but most commonly found in children is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, also known as ALL.""_

_Fuji's heart stopped. Why couldn't he tell? Why hadn't he seen it?_ The bruises, fatigue… Why didn't I see it?_ He stood there, eyes wide open, stiffened by the news._

_"The good news is that if he _does_ have what we think is leukemia, we found him good and early. He should only be in the 1st stage of the disease."_

_"So does that mean my son can be cured?" Nanjiroh said hopefully._

_"Well, no one is truly cured from cancer. If we find that it is indeed leukemia, then he should start chemotherapy as soon as possible, and a transplant of bone marrow should be arranged as well."_

_"But then wouldn't that mean that all of my Ryoma's hair will fall out…?" The tears welded in Rinko's eyes._

_"There is a small percentage of patient's whose hair does not fall out. There is always a chance that Echizen-san's won't." _

_"Chemotherapy is a very effective procedure, which works in almost everyone, but in reality, there are those whose bodies reject it as well."_

_Rinko burst into tears, Nanjiroh did his best to calm her._

_"As I said before, we cannot be sure until we run further tests to confirm our suspicions." The doctor handed Rinko some tissues. "We'll arrange for them to commence tomorrow morning, when Echizen-san wakes up and the drugs are flushed from his system."_

_"Thank you, doctor." Rinko and Nanjiroh stood up and bowed, Kikumaru, Oishi, and Fuji followed suite. _

Oishi took Kikumaru home after he woke up the morning after the incident, and although Fuji did not want to leave, he respected Ryoma's parent's wishes for him to go home and sleep, so he went home to clean up a bit and have some well-deserved rest.

Syuusuke called his sister to inform her of the situation during the night, and asked if she could pick him up from the hospital.

"Is he Ok? I mean, it's something serious isn't it?" His sister asked.

"He's been put into a drug-induced sleep, so he can rest. They don't know what's wrong yet, but they… they suspect it could be cancer." He spoke in a solemn tone.

"Oh, Syuusuke, I'm sorry," Her expression became one of worry, and sadness for her brother.

"Don't be. It's not as if you wished for this to happen," Fuji looked out the window. It was drizzling outside.

"Yeah… Do you want to get something to eat?"

"No thank you. I just want to go to home," Fuji said, with a yawn.

"Ok then," she said, as she continued to drive.

She took the long way home as Syuusuke had fallen asleep, probably because he hadn't slept the whole night so he could keep an eye on Ryoma.

He was sound asleep, and when he woke up, he found himself in his own bed under his covers, tucked in. _Saa, Nee-san must have carried me up here._

He looked at the clock, and saw that it was already 3:32 pm in the afternoon. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he pondered what his next move would be.

"Maybe… a shower would be good…ne? Yoshi!" He got up and gathered some clean clothes, and a towel. _Maybe I can visit Ryoma afterwards._

The bath had helped Fuji get back into his mild-mannered mindset. Dressed in a pair of ripped jeans, and a royal purple fitted polo shirt, with two beaded necklaces on, one red, and one green, he sipped on his favourite pair of white sneakers.

"I'm going out, I'll probably be back for dinner," he said before he stepped out.

As he walked by a small flower shop, he decided to go in and by a small bouquet, to add some colour to the white room Ryoma was in at the hospital.

"Maybe I should get sunflowers…" They reminded him of warmth, and somewhat of Echizen himself. Maybe it was his rare smile he had shown him just last night. "OK."

The sickening, sterile smell of the room began to slowly register, and a pair of golden eyes slowly fluttered open.

_Where am I?_

Ryoma lifted his heavy head of the pillow, only to find that he had a throbbing headache. He squeezed his eyes shut, lifting his right hand over his eyes, to shut out the blaring lights. A familiar smell wafted to his nose, the smell got stronger as he turned his head to his left.

"Hey sunshine, you awake?" Ryoma slowly opened an eye, meeting a weary smile.

"…Syuusuke?" The voice that came out of Ryoma's tiny body was cracking; his throat was dry and raspy. He attempted to prop himself up, but to no avail. Everything hurt; his head, his arms, even his hair was screaming bloody pain.

"I don't think you want to move so suddenly. You just woke up from a drug-induced sleep. You're arms and legs must be hurting as well." Fuji walked over to Ryoma's bed, and sat down, picking up the smaller boy's head, and placing it in his lap while he fluffed the pillow, then gently placing it back onto it.

"Huh… what…?" Ryoma couldn't process the information fast enough. _What sleep? What happened last night?_

"You collapsed last night, when we were walking home from our date," Fuji stated. He walked to the basin of water he had gotten, and wrung a white towel dry. He walked back towards Echizen, and lifted his arm and wiped it gently.

"I…" Little bits of the night were coming back to him, now that Fuji was talking about it. _I wasn't feeling well, and then… an angel caught me. Oh… I guess that angel was Fuji…?_

"You were rushed to the emergency room. Kikumaru and Oishi-senpai were here too. They were the ones who called the ambulance," He kept wiping Ryoma off, rinsing the cloth when it got warm.

Echizen coughed and then winced in pain, feeling every muscle in his body flex and relax, hurting. Fuji took that as his cue, and got Ryoma a cup of water, with a straw.

"What's… wrong with me?" Ryoma asked, after taking a few sips of the cool, soothing water.

"We don't know yet…" _We think you have cancer._ "The doctors are going to come and take you to run some tests soon."

Just as he had said that, a young female nurse, pushing a wheelchair came into the room.

"Echizen Ryoma-kun? I'm here to take you to get some tests done," She seemed nice, and she helped him get in the wheelchair. Before they left Ryoma looked back, and she turned the wheelchair to face Fuji.

"Oh… Are you going to be here… when I come back?" Ryoma asked.

"I'll be here."

**To be continued…**

A/N: Uwa How has everyone been doing? I'm so sorry for being MIA for such a long time. This chapter hopefully answers some of your questions and confirms your answers, haha. I hope that I didn't make the characters too… out of character! I also hope that you enjoyed the 5th chapter as much as I did writing it! Stay tuned for more! Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch 6- Stars Together**

Fuji Syuusuke x Echizen Ryoma

A/N: Ah, it has been a long time since I've updated no? Well, it's summer for me, so I decided to update, so you all have something to read during our long and arduous summer!! In the chapter, Ryoma will face his demons head on, but not with some fluff and fluff, and more fluff! Anyway, enough talking, here's Chapter 6 of Stars Together! Douzo!

Ryoma looked around at his surroundings; the sterile, pallid rooms passed him as he was wheeled down through the hallway to the test room.

_"We're going to be taking a few samples of blood and run some tests on those."_ Ryoma looked the other way as the nurse put the needle into where his IV was. He was about ready to puke as she took the last tube of blood out of him. He felt light-headed and quite frankly, very tired and sick. He wished these tests would go faster.

He was promptly wheeled into another room, this time a big cocoon-like machine was in the middle of it. To the left of the machine was a large window, where multiple doctors looked in on. The nurse helped him onto the 'tray' thing, as he called it, and she strapped his head down. Slight panic alarms started to go off in his mind, and his heart rate rose.

_"Please relax Echizen-kun. We are just going to scan your body through the CT scanner now. It won't hurt." _Where did this voice come from?

He wanted to look around but he stopped when the voice came back. _"Now, stay still please."_

The last test took what seemed to be an eternity to Ryoma. He held his breath as he was told, and breathed out when the voice told him to do so. Ryoma shut his eyes tightly. _It'll be over soon. Just stay still; It'll be over soon._ Now he felt even more ill and cold.

"Echizen-kun, it's over now," The nurse said to him. She helped him off the MRI machine, and back into the wheelchair. Ryoma was exhausted.

The nurse who had wheeled him to the and from the rooms, covered the pale boy with a hospital blanket, and she smiled. "The doctors seem concerned with you, so they've postponed the last of the tests to another day."

"Thank you," Ryoma nodded. The nurse began to push the wheelchair again, and the smooth movement cooed Ryoma, calming him down considerably. "I was wondering if you could take me outside for a moment. I feel a little light-headed."

"Sure, nothing a little fresh air can't fix."

"You know, I used to be in and out of the hospital myself. My mom was anaemic," she smiled, as she pushed him around the little park area where other patients alike were doing various things. Some were sitting on the benches, soaking up some needed vitamin D from the sun, and some were taking a stroll for their daily exercise regimen. Ryoma's mind wandered, wondering if Fuji-senpai—no, Syuusuke—was really waiting for him in his room.

The nurse, who was self-introduced as Taguchi Reita, noticed. "You know, you don't have to be scared. The doctors are highly educated and they're all really nice as well," she began smiling sympathetically.

"I just—never mind. It's nothing," He thought again. "Could we go back inside, please?"

"Ah, you must be getting cold. It's about time we head back anyway." She then recalled the young man that was with Ryoma, before Ryoma was to be off for his tests. _Oh, he must be waiting..._

"Who is that nice boy that said he'd wait for you in your room, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ryoma, who was caught off guard by the question, made a puzzled look. He wasn't quite sure how to answer it without confusing her.

"He's...my, um..." He blushed. "He's my senpai."

"Ah. I see." She turned the wheelchair around as he inadvertently let out a tired yawn. "We'll be back in your room in a few minutes."

The tests had truly worn out poor Echizen, and when he was wheel chaired back into his room, his beady little eyes were closed. Fuji stood up as the nice nurse wheeled him to the side, stopping at the side of the bed ready to wake him up from his slumber.

"Ah, that's OK, I'll put him to bed," Fuji said. He stood up from the chair where he was waiting, and placed his book facedown onto the chair, holding the page he was on in place. The nurse bowed, smiling, and Fuji did the same. She quietly walked out of the room.

Fuji walked to where the younger boy was, and kneeled down. As he was picking Ryoma up from the chair, the boy stirred awake, a little groggy.

"Syuusuke..." He attempted to blink the sleep away from his eyes, but it was to no effect.

"Tired, aren't you?" The younger boy nodded as he was scooped up. Ryoma turned in Syuusuke's arms, and was now facing in towards his chest.

"Cold." The younger boy shivered, and cuddled closer to the warm body which was holding him in mid-air.

"I'll get you some extra blankets after I put you down, OK?" His voice was soft, and whispery. Ryoma shook his head lightly, and he moved closer to the older boy's body. His hand held on to Fuji's shirt as a little pout crossed his face, his eyebrows furrowed. This caused Fuji to chuckle.

He walked to the edge of the bed, turned around, and then sat down. He put his back on pillows that were stacked up, and put Ryoma's legs onto the bed, while holding onto his upper body, cradling him. Ryoma put his head down on Fuji's stomach; his arms tucked close to his face.

Fuji looked down at Ryoma who had made himself comfortable. _He looks so peaceful, like a newborn child._

Fuji leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. He tenderly stroked Ryoma's face, and brushed a few stray hairs away from the younger boy's face. His hand lingered, intertwined still in Ryoma's soft hair. His eyes saddened thinking of Ryoma and his distant future.

Syuusuke looked out the window, and saw it was a beautiful sunny day outside. _If only I could enjoy it happily._

During the evening, Ryoma woke up to find himself lying on Fuji's stomach, not quite remembering how that came to be. He warily propped himself up and turned around to look out the window. Ryoma heard the older boy's stomach growl, and it was probably because he hadn't eaten in a day or so.

Even though he didn't really want to be alone in the hospital, he woke Syuusuke up, and instructed him to go home and rest, and told him that he was not allowed to return until he was recharged with energy and food in his belly.

Fuji stood up and helped the sore boy get under his sheets properly. After tucking him in, he leaned his open-eyed face closer to Echizen's and the mischievous sparkle in his eye, if not for a brief split second, returned as he smiled, ever so slyly. He turned his head to the side, and pointed to his cheek.

"What?" Ryoma asked.

"Saa, I don't get a goodbye kiss from my little lover?" He feigned a pout.

Ryoma scoffed, and looked the other way, pretending not to see. Fuji tugged cutely on the sleeve of Ryoma's hospital gown, and when the boy finally turned his head to face the boy, Ryoma found himself taken aback with a surprise kiss on the lips. He blinked, and then decidedly closed his eyes, and let the feeling of simple and swift euphoria take over.

Seconds— of which felt like minutes — later, Fuji broke the passion-filled kiss and chortled.

"Sleep tight. I'll be back tomorrow, so try not to miss me too much."

Ryoma clucked his tongue, blushing. He turned his head away from Fuji, which made the older boy smile.

Fuji gathered his coat and bag, and at the door, he turned his head and said, "Good night."

"Good night," Ryoma replied softly.

All alone in the barren room of white now, Echizen carefully turned onto his side. He wondered if he had caught some virus to cause him

Ryoma yawned. He felt another wave of fatigue wash over his eyes, but he was kind of cold without the other's body warmth beside him.

_Oh well, _he thought to himself. _If I don't think about it and just closed my eyes, Fuji would be right beside me anyway._

In the morning, Rinko and Nanjiroh were in Ryoma's room, as he was still sleeping, with Rinko putting some of Ryoma's things into the drawer beside the bed. Nanjiroh stood silently at the window, his fingers tapping lightly— but annoyingly— on the window ceil as he waited impatiently for someone to come with the test results.

Without turning around Rinko said, "Stop your tapping. You'll wake Ryoma up."

Nanjiroh clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Where is that doctor? He called and said he had the results for us," he whisper-yelled across the room impatiently, causing Ryoma to stir in his slumber, but it wasn't loud enough to wake him up. Rinko turned around and looked at him.

"I'm sorry Rinko-chan. I'm just... irritated from not being able to smoke in here," Nanjiroh rubbed the back of his neck roughly, frowning.

"Could you please fill the pitcher up with more water? Ryoma might get thirsty," Rinko asked. She held the cool glass pitcher in her delicate, motherly hands, and handed it to Nanjiroh. As he went to turn the doorknob, it turned, slightly startling Nanjiroh. The door swiftly opened to the doctor in his white coat, typical to the rest of the doctors on duty in the hospital.

"Good morning, Echizen-san." He put out his calloused hand out. "My name is Endosuke Kenzo. I am the doctor in charge of Ryoma-kun's case."

"Nanjiroh fumbled with the pitcher in his hand, then managed to finally free his right hand to shake the doctor's. "Just call me Nanjiroh. Echizen-san sounds too old and formal."

"Ah, Nanjiroh...-san it is then." He looked around the small room, and noticed that another person other than Ryoma was present. He bowed to Rinko, and she in returned bowed back as a formality.

"We have the results for Ryoma's blood tests already; they usually take a few days to a week to process, but it seems someone put in a really good word for your family," He laughed quietly.

Rinko speedily paced her way towards the doctor and Nanjiroh. "What is it doctor?" She said a little loudly.

"Rinko-chan, Ryoma's still sleeping," Nanjiroh's face softened as he looked her in the eyes, and held her hands. "Uh, please, doctor."

"Ah yes, the results," He opened the file folder and glanced quickly at the words and numbers on the once pristine sheets of white papers. "As the emergency room doctor had informed you, we suspect Ryoma of having Leukemia, because he exhibited many of the symptoms and signs of it. From what we can tell from the blood tests, and cell counts, your son has a form of leukemia that is most commonly found in young children called Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, otherwise known as ALL."

"Oh, my poor, baby!" She hiccupped between silent sobs. Rinko's eyes started to tear up. Nanjiroh quickly grabbed a chair for her. The tears flowed down her beautiful pale face.

"This form of leukemia is characterized by the rapid growth of immature blood cells. This makes the bone marrow unable to produce healthy blood cells, and due to the rapid progression and accumulation of the malignant cells, requires immediate treatment. Those malignant cells can then spill over into the bloodstream and spread to other organs of the body. As the scans have shown, Ryoma-kun's cancer is contained in his bone marrow as of right now... but as I said, treatment should start right away."

Rinko was now crying inconsolably, and Nanjiroh tried his best to calm her down, but to no avail. Doctor Endosuke grabbed the tissue box nearest him and handed it to Nanjiroh.

No one noticed that Ryoma was awake until he spoke up. "Are you sure?"

"Wha—Ryoma," Nanjiroh was caught unexpectedly to Ryoma's sudden awakening.

"I mean, those were only blood tests and a few scans. How can you be so sure... so sure it's... _cancer_?" Ryoma's lips trembled as the words slipped out of his mouth.

"Well—" He began to speak, but was cut off short by a shaking Ryoma.

"Because you can't be sure... I'm only thirteen. _Thirteen,_" His eyes widened as the shock began to settle in.

"Ryoma-kun, please, calm do—"

"I can't have... _cancer._ I have tennis nationals soon. The team... I have to practice for nationals..." He started to get out of his bed. He ripped out the IV and other things that were attached to his hand, causing the machine to emit a high pitched noise.

"Ryoma, don't get up!" Nanjiroh was frantic in the chaos.

"No! **I can't have cancer!!!**" He got up maybe a little too quickly because when he stood up, he almost fell down onto the floor, if he hadn't grabbed onto the bed. His breathing got faster, as did his heartbeat. "I have to leave, we have practice today... we—" He tried to walk again, but everything started to spin wildly in his sight. This caused Rinko to yelp, and she ran to his side.

"Ryo-chan, are you alright?" Rinko put her hands to his face and attempted to wipe the fear away with the steady flow of tears from his eyes. He pushed her hands away as he tried once again to get up, but the spinning was now accompanied with spotted vision and not only that, but he felt nauseous as well.

Doctor Endosuke pressed a button on the wall intercom system, and asked for assistance. Reita-san and another nurse and a male orderly came running in.

The orderly picked Ryoma up, thrashing and kicking for dear life, and the nurse held his legs as the orderly held him in the cot.

"Heart rate is 130 and rising. His blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg," The male orderly read off the machine they reattached to Ryoma's hand after they put his hands into the restraints. Ryoma began screaming loudly as he cried uncontrollably.

"Put on the padded straps. Nurse, 30 CCs of Thiopental, please," He turned to Nanjiroh who was helping Rinko off the floor.

"Are you OK ma'am?" Doctor Endosuke asked.

Rinko ignored the question as Nurse Taguchi inserted a small needle full of clear liquid into the intravenous vein in Ryoma's hand. She turned and hugged Nanjiroh as Ryoma sobbed loudly.

"We're going to put him into an induced coma for now," he looked back at Ryoma, who was belligerently struggling in the bed against the restraints and the people around him. "We can only see from the MRI and CT scans, and blood work we have done up until now. If you and your parents would like, we can do another test that would most definitely give you an accurate diagnosis."

It was Rinko's who spoke up. "Please do, doctor. Just to be sure," She looked at Ryoma and when his eyes met hers, she broke into quiet sobs and tears once again.

"I'll order for a spinal tap to be done tomorrow," He turned back to the nurses and checked Ryoma's stats.

Flashes of blurry faces flew by Ryoma's sight as he tried to kick the padded restraints that were being put around his wrists and ankles, off.

_This couldn't be happening_, Ryoma thought. _Just yesterday I was on a date with Fuji-senpai, and the day before that I was practicing for nationals with his other Senpais._

This was surreal.

A familiar face turned into Echizen's hospital wing with a bouquet of Yellow Daffodils and brightly coloured Daisies with an accent of Baby's Breath. As he got closer, he was alerted of the chaos. He recognised the voice that was screaming, and immediately began dashing towards Ryoma's room.

"What's happeni—" Fuji panted.

"Oh, Syuusuke-kun... Ryoma..." Rinko looked up, as Fuji walked passed her and handed her the bouquet of flowers.

Ryoma tried to fight the restraints holding his hands. The nurses took a step back as Syuusuke approached the bed. He opened his eyes and looked at the fragile body lying in the large bed.

"It can't be cancer... it can't be... cancer..." Ryoma blubbered. The effects of the drugs began to show as his words slurred together. Fuji put his hand to Ryoma's face and wiped away the tears. He kneeled down and put his arms around Ryoma.

_I can feel the sleep coming back... but I can't sleep yet... I just can't..._

"Just sleep Ryoma," Syuusuke held Ryoma closer, and whispered, "It'll be OK. You'll be OK. _We'll_ be OK."

The waves took him back out into the ocean of sleep; with the gentle rolling of it all, it soothed him unwillingly back to the shadows of unconsciousness.

**To be continued…**

A/N: Ah!! Minna-san!! That took me a while to do, but I hope you all enjoy it. Now that it's semi-confirmed... how will Ryoma react when he wakes up from his induce coma? What will become of his and Syuusuke's relationship and how will all this turn out next chapter? WELL, you'll just have to stay tuned for more instalments of Stars Together, now won't you? –smiles– I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for being so patient with me! Please R&R!


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